It seems like this indoor church abseil has been a long time coming, but was worth the wait. My older son, Alfie, is due to go on an expedition to Morocco with a group from his school in July. They'll be gone for 2 weeks during which they'll do a mixture of community projects and an expedition up Mount Toubkal. To fund the venture, each of the … Read More »
Category Archives: Personal
Canoeing on the River Vyrnwy
Today saw me get out with Chris Hughes, friend and fellow outdoor instructor, and my son Charlie for a paddle on the River Vyrnwy. I must confess that my own canoe hasn't been on the water for a few months now, due to a broken yoke, but today's trip was the perfect motivation to get it fixed yesterday. We met up near Trefnanney this morning to … Read More »
Alfie’s Welsh 3000s Mountain Challenge
Up until now now, I've always written my own blog entries. However, sharing this attempt at the Welsh 3000s (or 15 Peaks) with Alfie, my son, was both unusual and special. So I'm going to let you hear about our experience from his perspective: I don't know what you already know about the fifteen peaks (or think you know) but believe me when I say, "it's … Read More »
Whitewater CPD at the Tees Barrage
Although we've been paddling a lot for the last 10 days, it's all been on flat water running sessions for cadets on their central camp. However, a couple of us decided to head up to the Tees barrage. I'd never been there before, but two of the others seem to have used the venue quite a bit and thought it would ring the changes. So, with … Read More »
Rope Work Training
About a dozen climbing instructors, including myself, descended on the Adventure Rope Course near Shrewsbury today for an advanced rope work training session. Steph Williams from the Adventure Rope Course hosted the event , while Joby Davis ran the actual training side of things. Although I've heard very positive things about Joby in the past, I've never met him before but was impressed with his … Read More »
Winter Gullies in Snowdonia
I had been due to spend this week up in Scotland on a week's winter mountaineering trip. Unfortunately, the group weren't able to get their accommodation booked, so the whole week got cancelled. Normally, at this time of year, it can be a bit hit and miss as to wether or not the snow is still around. So you can imagine my frustration when the … Read More »
Bushcraft Practice
Although I spend a great deal of time in the outdoors, I must admit that 'mod cons' play a significant role in enabling things to happen. For example, it's a lot easier and quicker to get a Jetboil going to cook dinner and make a brew than to try to light a traditional fire in the wind and rain. It saves time and effort and … Read More »
Snow Hole Expedition on Creag Meagaidh
After Sunday's trip up Aonach Mor with Alfie for some winter skills practice, Monday saw us taking on the bigger challenge of an overnight expedition in the snow without a tent. Last year we enjoyed a two night night trip up Cairngorm, but this time opted for a one night snow hole expedition on Creag Meagaidh. Although the weekend climbers and walkers had all headed back to work, … Read More »
Winter Skills Day on Aonach Mor
Last year my son, Alfie, decided that he'd like to go on a snowhole expedition for his birthday. We spent a three days and two nights out in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands. We had a great time, but I figured that the reality of being in sub zero temperatures the whole time would take the shine off things. So I was delighted, although … Read More »
Personal Climbing at Wolf Mountain
Chris Hughes, a fellow outdoor instructor and friend, and I managed to find some time in the diaries to get out for the day. During this time of year, we try to get out once a month or so. In recent months, we've been paddling and scrambling, so we thought we'd ring the changes with a trip to an indoor climbing wall. Wolf Mountain in … Read More »
